It goes without saying, but Mohamed Salah and Steven Gerrard are both regarded by fans and the media as worthy of the title of a ‘Liverpool legend’, but who had a greater career for The Reds?
Salah has been at Liverpool for approaching seven years now, and has gone on to become one of the club’s most decorated and beloved players, arguably only challenged in the 21st century by Gerrard, one of LFC’s greatest ever players.
Gerrard was a Liverpool skipper and star player for several years, playing over 700 games for the club across his 17-year spell on Merseyside. However, despite his longevity, Stevie failed to achieve certain things that Salah managed to do, and in less time at the club as well, making this a rather interesting debate.
So, Coral looks at the Liverpool careers of both Mohamed Salah and Steven Gerrard, including what they achieved both personally and for their teams, finally deciding which of the two icons is a bigger Liverpool legend…
Mohamed Salah v Steven Gerrard – What do the stats say?
First, let’s look at what both players managed to do on the pitch for Liverpool. As noted, Gerrard playing 710 competitive games for Liverpool, scoring 185 goals during that period, including some truly vital ones which we’ll get on to talking about later on…
Salah, on the other hand, has played 332 games for The Reds at the time of writing, significantly fewer than Gerrard managed, but has scored 204 goals during that period, which is more than his counterpart. It’s not too surprising that Mo has scored more though, considering he’s an attacker, and one of the most prolific players in the history of the league.
Gerrard was a vital cog in Liverpool’s team, leading his side out for the majority of his LFC career, and playing almost every game he was fit and available for. The same can be said for Salah, who has become one of Jurgen Klopp’s most important players since arriving from Roma in 2017.
Comparing the stats of both players isn’t easy, considering they play in different positions, but their impact as individuals was so strong that if a fan included both in their ‘all-time Premier League XI’, you really wouldn’t find many eyebrows being raised. It’s clear that both men aren’t just legends of their club, but some of the best individuals the league has ever seen.
Verdict: Draw
Mohamed Salah v Steven Gerrard – Who won more?
In terms of trophies won though, Salah probably walks away with having done more for Liverpool. The only blip in Gerrard’s career with the Reds was the fact he famously never won the Premier League title, something that Salah was able to help bring to Anfield for the first time in his third season with the club.
Gerrard and Salah both won the Champions League too, with both also scoring in the final. Gerrard made the game 3-1 during the historic comeback with AC Milan in 2005, whilst Salah scored a penalty inside the first few minutes as Liverpool won their sixth Champions League title against Tottenham in 2019.
Salah also won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup with the club in 2022, with the Super Cup and Club World Cup also being part of his trophy cabinet. Other than the Europa League, which Liverpool are favourites to win this season, priced at 9/4 with Coral, he’s actually won every trophy available to him during his time with the club.
As for Gerrard, the Englishman won two FA Cups, three League Cups, one Europa League (then UEFA Cup), one Super Cup, and of course, one Champions League. He actually won more titles than Salah, but the fact he never one the Premier League definitely counts against him here.
So, according to titles won, we’re giving this one to Salah.
Verdict: Mo Salah
Mohamed Salah v Steven Gerrard – Who did they play with?
Football is a team game, and trophies can’t be won by individuals, although both Salah and Gerrard have put that statement in question during their spells with Liverpool and performances across various finals. Therefore, it’s important to consider the team Salah is part of, and the players that Gerrard was lining up alongside.
Salah is part of one of the best Liverpool teams of all time. The likes of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mane, Fabinho and Andy Robertson were, either now or at some point whilst at Liverpool, considered the best player in their position in the world. It’d have been a failure if a side as talented as the one the Egyptian has played in during his time at Liverpool didn’t win at least one Premier League title.
The team that Gerrard played in, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as good as the one Salah has been part of, and even is part of right now. Whilst he had the likes of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano alongside him in midfield, and Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez in front of him, very few players from Steven’s day would get into the Liverpool side of today, so the expectations on his side were lower.
You could even argue that Gerrard winning the Champions League in 2005, with a fairly average team, against one of the best AC Milan sides in history, is a bigger achievement than Liverpool winning the Champions League in 2019 against a Tottenham side that they were significantly better than, almost in every aspect.
Therefore, whilst taking into consideration the players that both men played alongside during their time at Liverpool, we’ll say that Gerrard’s achievements are worth more, so we’re giving this category to him.
Verdict: Steven Gerrard
Mohamed Salah v Steven Gerrard – Who was more important?
Debating which player was more important to their side is a hard thing to quantify, but we’re going to give it a go…
As noted, it felt like Gerrard was dragging his team to wins and trophies at various points during his time with Liverpool. Just think of the FA Cup final in 2006 against West Ham, where the midfielder almost single-handedly inspired his side to a win with two incredible goals.
Salah has had some incredible performances for Liverpool, but in finals and big games, it felt like he’s on less of a solo-mission than Gerrard was. Admittedly, a lot of that is because of the team Salah had around him, which we looked at previously, but Gerrard popped up with some truly clutch moments that can’t be ignored.
Liverpool would have been in serious trouble without Gerrard, but could they have coped if Salah left the club, or was out for a prolonged period of time with injury? Potentially…
Verdict: Steven Gerrard
Mohamed Salah v Steven Gerrard – Who is a bigger Liverpool legend?
Deciding who is the bigger Liverpool legend between Salah and Gerrard isn’t easy, there’s no getting away from that, but Coral has come to a verdict.
We’re giving the nod to Gerrard on this one, based on the longevity of his spell with Liverpool, how he inspired his team to victory in various competitions and matches, in which they entered as the underdogs, and his overall importance to the side in which he played in.
Take nothing away from Salah though, he’s arguably the best player Liverpool have had in the Klopp era, and one of the club’s biggest legends, but he played in a much better team with much better players alongside him. He could end up a bigger legend than Gerrard when his LFC career is done, especially if he wins the Premier League this season, but as of right now, Gerrard gets the nod as Liverpool’s biggest legend.
Verdict: Steven Gerrard
Are Liverpool favourites to win the Premier League this season?
Salah will be hoping to add more titles to his Liverpool CV this season, and the bookies think he and the Reds have a pretty good chance at doing so.
As noted, Liverpool are the favourites to win the Europa League, according to Coral, but how are they priced to win the other competitions that they’re playing in right now?
Salah is on track to win his second Carabao Cup with Liverpool. His side are 90 minutes away from a final, going into their second-leg against Fulham next week at Craven Cottage being 2-1 up on aggregate. The price for Liverpool to win the competition is 1/2 with Coral, making them the clear favourites.
As for the FA Cup, Liverpool knocked out Arsenal earlier on this month in their first game of the competition this season, and will face either Norwich or Bristol Rovers in the fourth round in their penultimate game of January.
Liverpool are seen as the second-favourite to win the competition too, at the price of 4/1. They’re only priced slightly higher than Man City, who are 3/1 to retain the FA Cup come the end of the season.
As for the Premier League, Salah’s Liverpool are second favourites once again, this time priced at 11/4, which is better than Arsenal’s price of 8/1. Man City, however, are still the favourites to retain their crown, despite being two points worse off than Liverpool with 18 games left to play, at the price of 1/2.
